proton therapy, a new ultra-precise radiotherapy

When she should be in college, Maëlys Pomarede13, is to spend five weeks in Nice (Alpes-Maritimes) to treat a brain tumour. The chemotherapy sessions have removed most of her tumor, she will complete her treatment with proton therapy sessions. This advanced technology, available only in three centers in France, targets the tumor with extreme precision. “Since it stops at the target, it completely spares a part of the body”, explains Jérôme Doyen, radiation oncologist, at the Antoine Lacassagne center in Nice.

There is therefore less risk of long-term side effects, which is essential for young patients. “You don’t feel anything, apart from the mask which hurts a little, but you get used to it”testifies Maëlys. If this technique is possible, it is thanks to a unique innovation in France: an integrated 3D scanner that allows you to see what that specialists call the “soft tissue“. A dozen patients have already been treated in Nice.